Strange Camera on M40

[PetrolTed]

Whizzing up the M40 yesterday and spotted a bloke with a huge camera on an extendable pole thing coming out of the roof of his van. It looked like a CCTV type camera.

Strange thing was that he'd parked just off one of the bridges crossing the carriageway, behind a hedge with the camera about 40 feet in the air peering over the hedge. He was in yellow jacket and looked more workman like than law.

What was that about then? Simple CCTV coverage and they didn't want to panic motorists?

[pmanson]

They've got a van like this in Bournemouth. 2 Poles extend out of the top of the van near the back.

I was going to stop and ask what it was for but it had something about CCTV written on the side of it

[hornet]

There was one of those in Watford a few months ago - yellow transit with a huge telescopic thing coming out of the roof. There was an army of fluro jacketed clipboard wielders hovering near it too, so must've been some sort of survey thing.

[Sheepy]

I think it's a traffic survey. Saw one similar a few weeks back in Milton Keynes near a large roundabout (one with traffic lights on it). This morning, there were some guys fiddling with one of the control boxes. I'm guessing they surveyed the traffic flow and have now made mods to the timing of the lights.

[streaky]

Sheepy said:

I think it's a traffic survey. Saw one similar a few weeks back in Milton Keynes near a large roundabout (one with traffic lights on it). This morning, there were some guys fiddling with one of the control boxes. I'm guessing they surveyed the traffic flow and have now made mods to the timing of the lights.

Hands up those who think such fiddling will improve matters?

[Sheepy]

streaky said:

Sheepy said: I think it's a traffic survey. Saw one similar a few weeks back in Milton Keynes near a large roundabout (one with traffic lights on it). This morning, there were some guys fiddling with one of the control boxes. I'm guessing they surveyed the traffic flow and have now made mods to the timing of the lights. Hands up those who think such fiddling will improve matters?

LMAO, it'll just cause a few minor bumps from those numpties who have gotten used to the sequencing and don't bother to look at the lights any more

[hut49]

I nearly choked on my tea-cake when I saw the title of this thread. I had to make a rather hasty sprint up the M40 to Brum and back to London today. Not a regular driver on that road and although I had kept eyes peeled for cameras and unmarked police cars I could easily have missed one.

[ledfoot]

PetrolTed said:

Whizzing up the M40 yesterday and spotted a bloke with a huge camera on an extendable pole thing coming out of the roof of his van. It looked like a CCTV type camera.

I have seen this camera van many times on the M40.
It's just a survey vehicle, and nothing to worry about.

What really annoys me is the numpties that slam their brakes on at 90 mph when they see the trafficmaster cameras on a bridge near J15 of the M40.

I was following a Porsche 911 the other day in lane 3 doing a steady 90mph, when all of a sudden he slams the anchors on because he thinks it's a speed camera. Totally no regard for anyone else on the road, and we ended up doing 60mph under the bridge. WTF !

[count duckula]

ledfoot said:

I was following a Porsche 911 the other day in lane 3 doing a steady 90mph, when all of a sudden he slams the anchors on because he thinks it's a speed camera. Totally no regard for anyone else on the road, and we ended up doing 60mph under the bridge. WTF !

And Nobody in power gives a sh1t about this problem because speed cameras save lives, and could not possibly cause accidents.

Malc

[bluepolarbear]

ledfoot said:

I have seen this camera van many times on the M40. It's just a survey vehicle, and nothing to worry about. What really annoys me is the numpties that slam their brakes on at 90 mph when they see the trafficmaster cameras on a bridge near J15 of the M40.

Definetly traffic survey, if you look it says so on the side of the van.

If you thinking of the same bridge as me they are not traffic master but part of the big brother network. Number plate of every car leaving or entering brum via the motorway network is logged. The camera's are on every motorway leading in / out / around Brum at approx 15 - 20 miles radius from the city center.

They are obvious CCTY with two IR illuminators for night version either side on per lane. Traffic Master Blue "cones" not obvious looking CCTV and typically only one on the middle lane.